It looks like rain. Something we haven’t seen in our small town in months. My husband told me the old rancher guys would say, while drinking their coffee at the local gas station/diner, “We are one day closer to rain!”

We will welcome the relief from the blistering 110+ degree days.

The earth will drink up the must anticipated moisture, the air will be cleaned of the dust from the Sahara deserts and the creeks, stock tanks and rivers will flow with water for the animals.

We may miss this chance of rain today, but we will continue to hope, pray and wish for a gully washer to come our way.

Wishing for rain to make us feel better, to calm us, to relieve us, is a lot like wishing for better days ahead. We are sometime in a, you might call it, a drought, an uncertainty, a holding pattern in our own lives. I know that sometimes I get stuck in a holding pattern, a funk, thinking my hands are tied and can’t do anything about the situation. I am waiting for the rain to wash it all away.

But there are things I can do while waiting on the rain. I can still face the sky with wonder, watch nature with amazement and joy.

I can love the people close to me, hold on to them a little tighter, really listening to them and learn their story, laugh more, create more, stay calm, practice grace and dignity. Pray.

I have noticed lately how loud the world is becoming. Even on a quiet day there is noise. Cell phones buzzing and dinging for our attention, fitbits and Apple watches vibrating to walk more or check that instant message.

Reminders going off on iPads and Alexa. All first world problems.

It is all part of the way we live now. I am just as guilty. I check my iPhone for emails and messages, posting photos on my facebook and instagram. Setting alarms and reminders.

Then, something happens and makes you step back and want to actually enjoy all the good quiet that you are missing out on.

Most of us, me included, work ninety to nothing to notch out a living, reach the next level, just one more thing to do and I will sit down and relax.

But do we really relax?

It is so easy to get wrapped up in our business, our to-do list, being involved in the community. That is all well and good, however, a little down time is necessary.

I have to admit, that I am wound a little tight. I do not “sit” well.

I have to be doing something. When I feel myself getting a little overwhelmed, anxious or not being able to manage things out of my control. I seek out nature.

Taking a long walk, I usually find things that fascinate me. There is somany wonderful delights to behold if we just take the time to notice them.

There is a whole other world that exists outside. A simple, beautiful world.

It just goes on being incredible each day, whether we notice it or not.

I was raised to notice and give thanks for all that nature has to offer. I married a extremely busy rancher/broker who will always pauses for a beautiful sunset

or to points out a baby animal.

Getting away from the buzzing of the everyday life yields good memories.

A bonfire at night with the full moon shining brightly.

Watching a passing thunderstorm and being enchanted by the delicate light afterward.

One of our very favorite things to do is going to the river. Letting our dogs swim and fetch sticks, letting them explore the riverbanks, fields and woods.

Kayaking with the grandkids is the greatest. Seeing things through their eyes gives me a new splendor.

It is a shame that many people just sit in their homes with loud quiet all around.

Not knowing that if they just open a window and hear a bird call, feel the breeze, smell the rain their mood might switch to a more relaxed state of mind.

If I take my own advice, I will disconnect from the first world problems, just for a while each day. Go outside and feel the earth under my feet, the breeze on my face, watch the clouds float by.

I remember when my grandmother turned 60. I thought she was so old! Even though she was a very vibrant red head with red lipstick and sassy attitude.

I

t seems like I just turned around, and I am hitting 60.

I think it is the number that scares me more than the actual event. I definitely do not feel 60.

My Mom did not start her clothing business until she was 58 and her business grew even larger in her 60’s and 70’s.

If my Mom was still with us, she would tell me age is just a number. That you really don’t start living your authentic life until you reach 60. You know enough to see pass drama, pretentiousness and perfidious. To see the real beauty that abounds. She taught me to live in grace, equality and be respectable. To hold tight to the ones you love, but not take any absurdity from anyone.

My Dad has taught me to be brave, courageous, not to be knocked down and keep swinging. To measure twice and cut once. To have a firm handshake and to look people in the eye. That I am capable to do anything I set my mind to. After mom passed away, he found out he had cancer and is still battling it today at almost 86. But he is a fighter, a genius, constantly learning something every day. Dad took up painting a couple of years ago and is remarkable! He paintings are covenant. He still teaches me daily how to live honorable, fight for my principles and to feed the birds.

My life has had lots of ups and downs. Fearful, discouraged, heartbroken and hesitate at times. However, I have more to be thankful for and I am truly blessed.

My brother and sister have been my life line through out my life. My sister in law, Wendy keeps us all grounded. I love her dearly.

They understand me without saying a word.

I am a proud Aunt of a Marine. This young man is what makes me proud of our country. I do not fear our future because of young men and women like Sam.

I really didn’t start living my true authentic life until I married my husband Steve. He has let me be me. He gets me.

He thinks I look best in jeans, boots covered in cow manure, no makeup or up to my elbows in clay while throwing at the pottery wheel. Steve is truly a God send. It hasn’t always been fun and games, but we have a deep love for each other that no one can come between.

Steve has taught me how to work smart, be myself, not let what other think bother me. That I don’t have to be fearful. I love his love for me, the kids, our animals and our families.

Our kids, Misty and David (my step kids, their mom so graciously shares them with me since they were very young), and their spouses, are the most treasured people in my life. They let me be a mom. Something I didn’t think I would be. They have brought me so much happiness, love and goofiness to last a life time. They have given us the most loved grandchildren.

I think this is what I love most about being 60. My family. Being in a place to enjoy all of them. My heart swells thinking of all of them.

My friends have been with me through thick and thin. I have the best friends in the world! Some I might not see for years, but we pick right back up where we left off. The friends I see daily are like my own shadow. They know my every move, my thoughts and my sarcasm.

This is a new chapter in my life, something I was kind of dreading. But I am now looking forward to what is in store for me.

I have strong women that I have followed to be in this place and have younger people that I need to set an example for.

So, I think I am really going to enjoy my “older” years. I live in the greatest country on earth, live in the best state ever, Texas (!), have my own pottery business, The best husband ever to share our dreams with. I am surrounded by love, here on earth and from above.

I was getting bombarded with all kinds of things. Things that may seem small to some, more than they could have handled to others. I could not get my bearings set, a good nights sleep or keep my heart from racing. We all get bad news, sad news or even news that can make us mad.

I just wished to lie down and do nothing. Just step away from what was constantly circling my head.

But, I couldn’t and didn’t want to do that. That is not in my nature. I am a figure it out, make a plan and get on with it kind of person.

One of the ways that I can calm myself is to be outside. I look to nature for signs that give tenderness, understanding and joy. Listening to the silence, the birds, my grandkids laughter, my husband calling the cows in.

You know the old cliche..”It is the simple things”. Well, that is my mantra.

Little things add up to big things. A day full of little, wonderful surprises add up to a great day. Even in the midst of this season of unwanted turmoil or situations, if I find the tiniest thing to smile about, my day instantly gets brighter.

We only get one chance to get it right while we are here on earth. I can’t change what life hands me sometimes, as much as I want to, I can’t.

But what I can change, is my attitude and my manner in how I handle the circumstances.

I believe in faith, hope, everlasting love. I believe we can handle what is handed to us with the grace of God, a higher power and miracles.

We are all on a journey. Sometimes it is rocky, slow going and what seems like never-ending. Sometimes it is smooth sailing, free-flowing and beautiful.

The beauty provided to me doesn’t change whether I am melancholic or broody, the stars are always there, the sun will shine again and I will see a rainbow, the blue birds and a newborn calf. Life and her unwavering abundance doesn’t stop showing up because I don’t. It is up to me to fall back into the rhythm of an ongoing existence.

Another quote that I like is “Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day”. That is what I strive for. I do my best to see the bright side of life. I may be the foolish one, the dreamer, whatever. But I choose to see that good things are coming. Maybe not in my life here on earth, but there will be a day when everyday is joyous.

Until that day, I will drink my coffee with our cows,

set aside a few moments to relax and regroup,

Eat good food, have a fresh taste,

watch the blue birds and love unconditionally.

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” Marcus Aurelius